Description

Carlos Castaneda was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century. In this stunning new jacket edition of his bestselling book, he takes the reader on an amazing journey of the soul via the teachings of the great sorcerer don Juan and reveals that there are worlds existing within our own that can be visited through dreams. The Art of Dreaming is an extraordinary and exciting adventure of the psyche unlike any other, which takes the reader on an amazing journey of the soul via the teachings of the great sorcerer, don Juan. Carlos Castaneda reveals that, like the layers of an onion, there are worlds existing within our own that can be visited through dreams. Using powerful ancient techniques to alter his state of consciousness, Castaneda travels into new worlds and encounters remarkable but dangerous beings; he conjoins energy bodies with another dreamer in order to dream and explore together, and thus acquires new knowledge and understanding. Castaneda's compelling writing enables the reader to participate fully in his eye-opening and thrilling discoveries and explorations.show more

Review quote

'Castaneda has become one of the godfathers of the New Age movement... He is addressing the central issues of our time.' LOS ANGELES TIMES 'Carlos Castaneda is one of the most profound and influential thinkers of this century. His insights are paving the direction for the future evolution of human consciousness. We should all be deeply indebted to him.' DEEPAK CHOPRA 'We are incredibly fortunate to have Carlos Castaneda's books... One can't exaggerate the significance of what he has done.' NEW YORK TIMES 'It's impossible to view the world in quite the same way after reading him...If Castaneda is correct, there is another world, a sometimes beautiful and sometimes frightening world, right before our eyes at the moment- if only we could see.' CHICAGO TRIBUNEshow more

About Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda was the author of 11 international bestsellers describing his work with don Juan Matus. His work and ideas will be continued by Cleargreen, the organisation that he founded to promote his ideas.show more

Review Text

The eighth - and one hopes the last - book about Castaneda's apprenticeship with the Yaqui Indian sorcerer Don Juan Matus. By now, Castaneda's bestselling engine is running on empty, at least to judge by this lackluster entry, which adds fuel to the argument that the Don Juan books are fiction and that their author has passed his creative prime. Gone is the vivid sense of wonder as Don Juan escorts Castaneda into a new world of mystery and magic; gone the crisp presentation of esoteric ideas; gone the crackling tension between teacher and student. What remains is a token representation of Don Juan, guffawing at Castaneda or smacking him on the back, and a cloud of confused teachings about the world of dreams. Taking control of one's dreams, says Don Juan, is the key to a sorcerer's power. But what kind of sorcerer? Don Juan makes a distinction between the ancients, who manipulated the world for personal power, and moderns - such as himself - who "search for freedom." Castaneda must thread his way between these two opposing camps, balancing his thirst for truth and his personal ambition. In so doing, he passes through three "gates of dreaming": becoming aware of falling asleep; waking from one dream into another; seeing yourself asleep. Castaneda barges through these portals in his typically bumbling fashion, all the while communicating with - and being used by - "inorganic beings" that look like thin tree trunks and give the sorcerers their secret knowledge. His journey ends with a perilous confrontation with a "death defter," a Methuselah-like male sorcerer in the guise of a woman. Castaneda is rescued from this and other dangerous encounters by his fellow apprentice, the beautiful Carol Tiggs, who at book's close vanishes into the world of dreaming. Will Castaneda rescue her in the next volume, playing Orpheus to her Eurydice? Tune in, if you care. The Art of Dozing is more like it. (Kirkus Reviews)show more